Zeeland West junior Logan Nash (22) brings down Lowell quarterback Logan Dawson (2) during the second half of last Friday’s Division 3 regional playoff game. Nash had an interception in the game for the Dux.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The 2025 football season came to a heartbreaking end for Zeeland West last Friday night in Lowell.
The homestanding Lowell Red Arrows rallied from a 15-point second quarter deficit to edge the Dux, 36-34, in a Division 3 regional playoff game. Lowell (10-2) will face unbeaten Mount Pleasant (12-0) in a semifinal game this Saturday, with the winner to advance to the state finals Thanksgiving weekend at Ford Field in Detroit.
Marek Pullen scored on a 25-yard touchdown run with 4:05 remaining to give Lowell the lead. The Dux drove to the Red Arrows 16-yard line in the final minute, but a fourth-down pass fell incomplete, and Lowell took a knee on the final play to seal its first-ever victory in five meetings against West.
“These were two very physical teams, just battling it out,” said West coach Jeff Bolhouse, whose first season as varsity coach ended with a record of 8-4. “I give (Lowell) credit, they made a few more plays than we did. It was one hard-hitting football game.”
The Red Arrows jumped out to a quick 7-0 less than two minutes into the game with a 65-yard, four-play drive. Mitchell Eikey scored on a 25-yard touchdown run, the first of his two touchdowns in the game.
The Dux responded with a 65-yard, nine-play march of their own. Junior halfback Brandon Holman scooted to the outside and went 32 yards for the touchdown, then caught a two-point conversion pass from junior quarterback Drew Albrecht for an 8-7 West lead midway through the first quarter.
After the West defense forced a three-and-out, Holman struck again. He took the direct snap out of a single-wing formation, again got to the edge and used his speed to race 80 yards for the touchdown. The conversion failed, but the Dux led 14-7.
Early in the second quarter, the West defense came up with another big play as junior Logan Nash intercepted his third pass of the postseason, giving the Dux the ball at the Lowell 32. Four plays later, Holman scored on a 16-yard sweep around right end, his third touchdown of the half and 26th of the season. Holman added the two-point conversion and West led 22-7 with 9:32 left in the half.
Lowell came back to cut the lead at 22-14 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Eikey, and had a chance to pull even closer at the end of the half. However, on the final play of the half, the Dux stopped Brady Smith a yard short of the end zone on a pass in the flat to preserve the lead.
West had a great opportunity to extend the lead at the start of the second half. Sophomore Kenny Howe III ran back the kickoff 48 yards to the Lowell 37. But the Red Arrows came up with a game-changing play, stopping Holman inches short of a first down on fourth-and-1.
“It was huge,” Bolhouse said of the Lowell fourth-down stop. “We get a big kickoff return, we got some momentum, and then we don’t convert that into a touchdown. If we put in the end zone, who knows what happens after that.”
Lowell capitalized on the change of possession, driving 72 yards in seven plays. Senior quarterback Logan Dawson finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, then connected with Colten Barney on a two-point conversion to tie the game at 22-all with 7:08 left in the third quarter.
The tie lasted less than a minute. On the second play following the ensuing kickoff, Albrecht fooled the Red Arrows with a play-action fake and found senior Jonah Leslie 10 yards behind the Lowell secondary. Albercht’s first pass of the game resulted in a 71-yard touchdown to Leslie, and West was back in front 28-22.
Dawson put the Red Arrows back in the lead with a 7-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, followed by a Morgan Diekevers extra point kick. Lowell led 29-28 going into the fourth quarter.
West regained the lead with a 68-yard, 11-play drive. Leslie scored his 13th touchdown of the season on a 10-yard burst with 7:15 to play, putting the Dux ahead 34-29. A two-point conversion run was stopped, opening the door for Lowell’s winning score.
West finished the game with 394 yards total offense, including 323 on the ground. However, the Dux gave up 403 yards to Lowell, 293 on the ground and 110 through the air.
Holman rushed for 174 yards on 15 carries to lead the Dux, while Leslie had 58 yards on 13 carries and junior Niko Moungkhoun added 57 yards on seven attempts. Pullen led Lowell with 116 yards on 12 carries while Dawson had 103 yards rushing on 24 carries and 110 yards passing on 4-of-6 completions.
Zeeland Record
The 2025 football season came to a heartbreaking end for Zeeland West last Friday night in Lowell.
The homestanding Lowell Red Arrows rallied from a 15-point second quarter deficit to edge the Dux, 36-34, in a Division 3 regional playoff game. Lowell (10-2) will face unbeaten Mount Pleasant (12-0) in a semifinal game this Saturday, with the winner to advance to the state finals Thanksgiving weekend at Ford Field in Detroit.
Marek Pullen scored on a 25-yard touchdown run with 4:05 remaining to give Lowell the lead. The Dux drove to the Red Arrows 16-yard line in the final minute, but a fourth-down pass fell incomplete, and Lowell took a knee on the final play to seal its first-ever victory in five meetings against West.
“These were two very physical teams, just battling it out,” said West coach Jeff Bolhouse, whose first season as varsity coach ended with a record of 8-4. “I give (Lowell) credit, they made a few more plays than we did. It was one hard-hitting football game.”
The Red Arrows jumped out to a quick 7-0 less than two minutes into the game with a 65-yard, four-play drive. Mitchell Eikey scored on a 25-yard touchdown run, the first of his two touchdowns in the game.
The Dux responded with a 65-yard, nine-play march of their own. Junior halfback Brandon Holman scooted to the outside and went 32 yards for the touchdown, then caught a two-point conversion pass from junior quarterback Drew Albrecht for an 8-7 West lead midway through the first quarter.
After the West defense forced a three-and-out, Holman struck again. He took the direct snap out of a single-wing formation, again got to the edge and used his speed to race 80 yards for the touchdown. The conversion failed, but the Dux led 14-7.
Early in the second quarter, the West defense came up with another big play as junior Logan Nash intercepted his third pass of the postseason, giving the Dux the ball at the Lowell 32. Four plays later, Holman scored on a 16-yard sweep around right end, his third touchdown of the half and 26th of the season. Holman added the two-point conversion and West led 22-7 with 9:32 left in the half.
Lowell came back to cut the lead at 22-14 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Eikey, and had a chance to pull even closer at the end of the half. However, on the final play of the half, the Dux stopped Brady Smith a yard short of the end zone on a pass in the flat to preserve the lead.
West had a great opportunity to extend the lead at the start of the second half. Sophomore Kenny Howe III ran back the kickoff 48 yards to the Lowell 37. But the Red Arrows came up with a game-changing play, stopping Holman inches short of a first down on fourth-and-1.
“It was huge,” Bolhouse said of the Lowell fourth-down stop. “We get a big kickoff return, we got some momentum, and then we don’t convert that into a touchdown. If we put in the end zone, who knows what happens after that.”
Lowell capitalized on the change of possession, driving 72 yards in seven plays. Senior quarterback Logan Dawson finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, then connected with Colten Barney on a two-point conversion to tie the game at 22-all with 7:08 left in the third quarter.
The tie lasted less than a minute. On the second play following the ensuing kickoff, Albrecht fooled the Red Arrows with a play-action fake and found senior Jonah Leslie 10 yards behind the Lowell secondary. Albercht’s first pass of the game resulted in a 71-yard touchdown to Leslie, and West was back in front 28-22.
Dawson put the Red Arrows back in the lead with a 7-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, followed by a Morgan Diekevers extra point kick. Lowell led 29-28 going into the fourth quarter.
West regained the lead with a 68-yard, 11-play drive. Leslie scored his 13th touchdown of the season on a 10-yard burst with 7:15 to play, putting the Dux ahead 34-29. A two-point conversion run was stopped, opening the door for Lowell’s winning score.
West finished the game with 394 yards total offense, including 323 on the ground. However, the Dux gave up 403 yards to Lowell, 293 on the ground and 110 through the air.
Holman rushed for 174 yards on 15 carries to lead the Dux, while Leslie had 58 yards on 13 carries and junior Niko Moungkhoun added 57 yards on seven attempts. Pullen led Lowell with 116 yards on 12 carries while Dawson had 103 yards rushing on 24 carries and 110 yards passing on 4-of-6 completions.
Turkey Trot Returns to Zeeland Next Thursday
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Before families in Zeeland settle in for their traditional Thanksgiving gatherings next Thursday, some folks will lace up their running shoes and hit the pavement for another local Thanksgiving tradition – the annual Turkey Trot 8-kilometer race.
The 11th annual Turkey Trot 8K Before You Eat – yes, that’s the actual title of the race – will begin at 8 a.m. in front of Frank’s Restaurant downtown, and hundreds of runners have already signed up to run.
“It has become quite a tradition for a lot of families locally, and it is amazing to see when we see the sign-ups, the states that people are coming in from for family for the holiday,” said Robin Van Bragt, one of the race organizers.
The Turkey Trot began in 2014 as the brainchild of several local running enthusiasts. Van Bragt and Sara Eade had run a similar Turkey Trot event in Ada the previous Thanksgiving.
“It was very snowy and it was very cold, and my son broke his finger while I was running this race an hour away,” Van Bragt said.
The next summer, Van Bragt and other running enthusiasts met at Vitale’s after running in the Zeeland Zoom 5K, and began to discuss ideas for holding a race locally.
“(We thought) why wouldn’t we start our own Zeeland Turkey Trot so that none of us would have to go anywhere on Thanksgiving morning?” Van Bragt said.
About 500 runners took part in the first Turkey Trot that year. From there, the race has grown to the point where organizers have had to cap registrations. This year’s limit is 1,800 registrations. As of Nov. 12, runners from at least 18 states had signed up to run, Van Bragt said.
In addition to Van Bragt and Eade, the organizing committee includes Councilman Jim Broersma and Tracy Dykstra.
This year’s run will go to support the City on a Hill ministry center, Van Bragt said.
“Every year we do a different charity,” she said. “We try to keep the money as local as possible … Anything that we can give to local needs is important to us.”
More than 100 volunteers are expected to help make sure the Turkey Trot is run smoothly.
“A lot of families that have a runner, they’ll come down anyway and support (them), so they’ll sign up to volunteer,” Van Bragt said. “We put them along the race course so that they can direct anybody that doesn’t know the course, as well as putting together the water station on Central (Avenue), and then after the race, we have the chocolate milk and bananas (to serve to the runners).”
Luke Koopman of Grand Rapids was the men’s champion in last year’s race with a time of 24 minutes, 46.8 seconds. Mallory Dreyer of Indianapolis, Ind., was the women’s winner with a time of 30:22.5.
Registration is still open for the Turkey Trot. You can sign up at runsignup.com/Race/MI/Zeeland/ZeelandTurkeyTrot. The registration fee is $50. Packets may be picked up next Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. and from 6:30 to 7:45 a.m. the day of the race at 140 E. Main Ave., on the south side of the street.
“We love to see the families come together and make this their holiday tradition, and we are just so thankful to live in the community that we have in Zeeland. We love seeing the community come out and support each other. It’s just the best,” Van Bragt said.
Zeeland Record
Before families in Zeeland settle in for their traditional Thanksgiving gatherings next Thursday, some folks will lace up their running shoes and hit the pavement for another local Thanksgiving tradition – the annual Turkey Trot 8-kilometer race.
The 11th annual Turkey Trot 8K Before You Eat – yes, that’s the actual title of the race – will begin at 8 a.m. in front of Frank’s Restaurant downtown, and hundreds of runners have already signed up to run.
“It has become quite a tradition for a lot of families locally, and it is amazing to see when we see the sign-ups, the states that people are coming in from for family for the holiday,” said Robin Van Bragt, one of the race organizers.
The Turkey Trot began in 2014 as the brainchild of several local running enthusiasts. Van Bragt and Sara Eade had run a similar Turkey Trot event in Ada the previous Thanksgiving.
“It was very snowy and it was very cold, and my son broke his finger while I was running this race an hour away,” Van Bragt said.
The next summer, Van Bragt and other running enthusiasts met at Vitale’s after running in the Zeeland Zoom 5K, and began to discuss ideas for holding a race locally.
“(We thought) why wouldn’t we start our own Zeeland Turkey Trot so that none of us would have to go anywhere on Thanksgiving morning?” Van Bragt said.
About 500 runners took part in the first Turkey Trot that year. From there, the race has grown to the point where organizers have had to cap registrations. This year’s limit is 1,800 registrations. As of Nov. 12, runners from at least 18 states had signed up to run, Van Bragt said.
In addition to Van Bragt and Eade, the organizing committee includes Councilman Jim Broersma and Tracy Dykstra.
This year’s run will go to support the City on a Hill ministry center, Van Bragt said.
“Every year we do a different charity,” she said. “We try to keep the money as local as possible … Anything that we can give to local needs is important to us.”
More than 100 volunteers are expected to help make sure the Turkey Trot is run smoothly.
“A lot of families that have a runner, they’ll come down anyway and support (them), so they’ll sign up to volunteer,” Van Bragt said. “We put them along the race course so that they can direct anybody that doesn’t know the course, as well as putting together the water station on Central (Avenue), and then after the race, we have the chocolate milk and bananas (to serve to the runners).”
Luke Koopman of Grand Rapids was the men’s champion in last year’s race with a time of 24 minutes, 46.8 seconds. Mallory Dreyer of Indianapolis, Ind., was the women’s winner with a time of 30:22.5.
Registration is still open for the Turkey Trot. You can sign up at runsignup.com/Race/MI/Zeeland/ZeelandTurkeyTrot. The registration fee is $50. Packets may be picked up next Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. and from 6:30 to 7:45 a.m. the day of the race at 140 E. Main Ave., on the south side of the street.
“We love to see the families come together and make this their holiday tradition, and we are just so thankful to live in the community that we have in Zeeland. We love seeing the community come out and support each other. It’s just the best,” Van Bragt said.
West Grad Klaasen Named to MAC All-Freshman Team
Zeeland West graduate Jordyn Klaasen was a valuable contributor to the Ball State University women’s soccer team this season, earning Mid-American Conference All-Freshman honors. Klaasen helped the Cardinals shut out nine of their opponents this season, and scored a game-winning goal in early October against Eastern Michigan.
Photo courtesy Ball State University sports information
Photo courtesy Ball State University sports information
Ball State University defender and 2025 Zeeland West graduate Jordyn Klaasen has been named to the Mid-American Conference women’s soccer All-Freshman Team.
Klaasen started in all 20 games for the Cardinals this season and played the second-most minutes on the team (1,769) as a true freshman. She played every minute of Ball State’s last 16 games, leading a backline that recorded nine shutouts on the season, including six against MAC opponents, and posted a team goals-against average of 0.94.
Klaasen notched her first career point Sept. 7 when she assisted on a goal in a 2-2 tie with Butler (Ind.) University.
On Oct. 9, Klaasen scored her first career goal, set up by a corner kick, that proved to be the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Eastern Michigan. She earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week for that performance.
Ball State finished the season with a 10-7-3 record, 7-4-1 in the MAC.
Klaasen started in all 20 games for the Cardinals this season and played the second-most minutes on the team (1,769) as a true freshman. She played every minute of Ball State’s last 16 games, leading a backline that recorded nine shutouts on the season, including six against MAC opponents, and posted a team goals-against average of 0.94.
Klaasen notched her first career point Sept. 7 when she assisted on a goal in a 2-2 tie with Butler (Ind.) University.
On Oct. 9, Klaasen scored her first career goal, set up by a corner kick, that proved to be the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Eastern Michigan. She earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week for that performance.
Ball State finished the season with a 10-7-3 record, 7-4-1 in the MAC.
Hope’s Harris Named All-MIAA in Women’s Soccer
Hope College senior midfielder and Zeeland native Ainsley Harris was recently named to the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s women’s soccer All-MIAA first team in a vote of the league’s coaches.
Harris, a graduate of Holland Christian High School, was named to the All-MIAA first team for the third consecutive year.
Harris scored six goals and added three assists for 15 points in 19 games this season for the Flying Dutch, who finished second in the MIAA with a 7-1 league record and an overall mark of 12-4-3. Hope dropped a 2-1 decision to Calvin University in the championship game of the MIAA tournament Nov. 8.
For her career, Harris scored 15 goals and added 13 assists in 55 games for Hope.
Harris, a graduate of Holland Christian High School, was named to the All-MIAA first team for the third consecutive year.
Harris scored six goals and added three assists for 15 points in 19 games this season for the Flying Dutch, who finished second in the MIAA with a 7-1 league record and an overall mark of 12-4-3. Hope dropped a 2-1 decision to Calvin University in the championship game of the MIAA tournament Nov. 8.
For her career, Harris scored 15 goals and added 13 assists in 55 games for Hope.
